


Confrontations

by annaswOrld



Series: The Ghost Quartet [3]
Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)
Genre: Alex Mercer Has Anxiety (Julie and the Phantoms), Anorexia, Anxiety, Bisexual Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Bisexual Flynn (Julie and The Phantoms), Bisexual Julie Molina, Bisexual Reggie Peters (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson Defense Squad, Bobby | Trevor Wilson Dies, Bobby | Trevor Wilson-centric, Bulimia, Canonical Character Death, Eating Disorders, Everyone is Dead, F/F, Gay Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), Good Person Bobby | Trevor Wilson, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Pansexual Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, References to Depression, Sad Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Self-Harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 00:47:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29893092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaswOrld/pseuds/annaswOrld
Summary: The boys confront some of their insecurities and try to move forward together as a family, trying to bond with the girls in the process./The guys confront Bobby and try to help him start the process of healing. Along the way, the girls wiggle their way into their process, causing some hidden guilt from Luke to be unraveled.MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING, CHECK NOTES!
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Luke Patterson (Julie and The Phantoms), Bobby | Trevor Wilson & Alex Mercer & Luke Patterson & Reggie Peters, Bobby | Trevor Wilson/Reggie Peters, Flynn & Julie Molina
Series: The Ghost Quartet [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2177823
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Confrontations

**Author's Note:**

> *MASSIVE TRIGGER WARNING*  
> ~This entire story has constant references to eating disorders, anxiety, depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, PTSD, abusive parents, and negligent guardians! If any of this could or would be a trigger, please do not read!~  
> Hello readers!  
> Welcome to part three of the series! I recommend reading parts one and two first for more context.  
> I'd just like to start by making a disclaimer. I can't write or spell very well *at all*, I know these things, I am working on it. Grammar and writing are some of my worst abilities but I genuinely enjoy them, so here I am! Please excuse the possibly inaccurate tags or labels that may seem more extreme than necessary. I believe mental health is extremely important and I don't want to under do-it and put out a larger risk than I need to. I'm still learning the ropes of this website, so I do ask for your patience. More notes to come at the end, Happy reading!

REGGIE’S POV

2020, HOLLYWOOD

Tears made their way into the corners of my eyes, silently running down my face. I carded my fingers through my baby’s hair and shifted him out of the other's hold and into my arms. I looked up at Luke and Alex, sharing a knowing look. The salty water gushed out exceptionally faster as I was no longer able to contain my sobs. I felt the comforting hands of my best-friends rub up and down my shoulder blades, only stopping once to hand me a tissue from the small table beside the couch. I heard Luke stifle a small sob, covering his face with his hands. Alex was the only one not crying, but his posture was stiff, hand gripping Luke’s tightly. I could practically see his brain working, trying to rationalize everything and figure out a solution, the anxiety radiating off of him. Although Bobby was typically the one with the most level-head, Alex was a close second when his anxiety wasn’t overtaking him. We all looked out for each other, but those two truly outdid themselves. Driving us where we needed to go, making sure any and all homework assignments were turned in, reassuring us that if we ever needed anything that there they were. Luke and I focused on providing more physical comfort than anything, doing our best to make sure everyone had what they needed in our ways.  
I debated for a while if this was the best time to find a solution. On one hand, I just wanted to sit here and hold him until all of his troubles were swept away. On the other hand, however, I knew realistically that those troubles won’t go away unless we figure out how to fix this. How to fix him. After steadying my breathing and calming down enough to speak, I decided to try to speak to the boys again about what to do about Bee-Bop. “Now is probably going to be one of the better times to talk about this. Ya know since he is asleep and Julie isn’t here.” Luke hiccuped, nodding his head and looking to Alex for his input. Alex sighed, inserting his hands roughly into his hair, “Yeah, yeah. You’re probably right. It’s just, How? When? Where? Why did this even start? When did this even start? How did we miss this? Why did it take us so long to realize?-” He rambled on.  
“Hey-hey-hey-hey, Alex. It’s okay, we’ll figure it out. Yeah, we need to figure all of that information but in the meantime, Let’s handle this one problem at a time. We can’t freak out, or it might make things worse for him.”  
I wasn’t necessarily surprised at Luke’s maturity, because I knew he had it in him, but I almost forgot about it amid the storm. Everything seemed dull to me that wasn’t directly correlating to Bobby now, my senses for him heightening greatly. I agreed with Luke, silently praying that there would be no extra complications with this process. Some things though, couldn’t be helped but we desperately needed them not to happen. No distractions.  
No Julie.  
No rehearsal. Unless it was going to help, then I could make an exception. Anything that wasn’t going to help solve whatever this was, is gone. We first just need to figure out exactly what this is and get him to talk to us. This was taking a visible toll on his mental and physical health and it pained me greatly that I couldn’t just snap my fingers and make it go away. Looking once more at the precious bean sleeping in my arms, I gave the boys a stern look. “Let’s do this.”

ALEX’S POV

Reggie had a look of conviction in his eyes, one that was so abnormal for him that I felt terrified for anyone who dared to defy him right now. I sure as hell wouldn’t and I was confident enough to place bets on Luke not doing so either. Checking submission to whatever Reggie’s plan was off of my mental check-list, I moved down to the next thing. Figure out exactly what he has without alerting Julie, the other Molina’s, and now, Flynn. With no fast access to information like Julie had with her phone, we would need to get to a library. The only issue is, it’s hard to find something when you don’t know what you’re looking for. After explaining my idea to the boys, we all agreed that it would be best for Luke and me to go searching, and for Reggie to stay here in case Bobby woke up before the sun rose in the morning. Checking the time, I noted that it was now about a quarter ‘till 9, signaling the library would most likely be closed, if not closing. Perfect, no strangers to watching books randomly start floating, assuming that they could see what we were holding as we held it. Wasting no time with attempting to locate where it had been moved to, Luke and I focused on the building in our minds, poofing there instantaneously. I looked around for a moment, clutching Luke by the bicep and dragging him over to the non-fiction E’s. “The only thing I can think of is the term eating disorders from gym class. If you have any other ideas, now would be a fantastic time to share.” He shook his head, chewing on the dead skin on his bottom lip. “Alright then. You start there, I’ll start here.”  
We looked for a solid forty-five minutes trying to find a book under that title or one of a similar name. There were so many more books and options now than there had ever been when we were alive. Luke and I were shoulders to chest trying to find the book, digging furiously for the correct one. Soon, we found a couple of books and carried them all over to the table in the center of the building. Dropping the 1.5foot stack of books on the table, we began skimming through them. About halfway into the pile, I open one of the thicker books. Getting past the introduction pages that were the same as the rest of the stack I had already gone through, I looked in the A’s section of the book, thanking the author or whoever decided to alphabetize this.  
I knew realistically that Luke being here wasn’t the most helpful, him struggling with reading and focusing a lot more than he’d ever care to admit. It was admirable how despite these factors, he was still here, with me, in the library, trying to read and stay focused on these large textbooks- just to help a friend. He was chewing on a guitar pick that I hadn’t realized he had brought along with us, fingers tapping with an unfamiliar beat, matching the bouncing in his leg. His thumping normally disturbed me but now it was bringing a familiar sense of comfort. Nodding my head along to the beat, I continued to skim over the long medical terms and lists of symptoms and treatments. Landing on one page titled “Anorexia-Nervosa'', I paled. I remembered the term being used once in a project in health class that was presented by a group of girls. I hadn’t even considered this an option due to the close-minded stereotype that it was a girl’s disease. I blindly tapped on the table, trying to catch Luke’s attention. My hand eventually found its way to his forearm, swatting at it until he responded. “What’s up Lexi? You find somethin’?” He asked, getting up to come tower over my shoulder. We scanned the page together, a pang of guilt and understanding dawning on, taking control of our minds. For a moment I forgot how to breathe, Luke’s quiet voice reeling me back in, grounding me with his unease.  
“This.”  
“This?”  
“This is it, or well it’s part of it anyway. Has to be.” I took in a shaky breath, “It-it describes his behavior almost perfectly. The lack of appetite? Check. Cold in warm places? Check. Depression? He already has but it’s definitely gotten worse, so check. Always tired or lack of energy? Check. Excessive exercise? Check. Massive weight loss? Big freaking check.” Luke gulped, shuddering.  
“Not-not to mention all of those frequent bathroom trips immediately after we got food. I know everyone has their own bathroom business but his, his has always seemed kind of concerning.” He said scratching the back of his head awkwardly. I silently agreed, continuing to read down and across the chapter. Towards the end of the section, I saw the word bulimia in bold. Cocking an eyebrow, I read the transition paragraph, explaining how the two often go hand in hand. Anorexia was more or less starving yourself into an extreme caloric deficit while bulimia appeared to be mostly self-induced purging and vomiting. It made sense I suppose when I considered Bobby’s eating habits and the ritual routines that seemed to follow the dreaded time. There were a lot of small telling signs that we should have noticed and acted on sooner but didn’t. He had all of the most common symptoms, even being more clingy and attached to Reggie, allowing his vulnerability to seep through now in ways he had never before.  
Before the changes occurred, all he had ever done was pine painfully from a distance. He looked love struck since day one. The moment he first laid eyes on him, I knew. I had never seen anyone look at another person that way before, not even my parents when I was a child. Reggie looked back at him the same way, just not when he was looking. They seemed to never be able to meet their eyes, both in love with each other but neither brave enough to admit to anyone but themselves. Months after Reggie had finally broken down and told Luke and me about how he was feeling, he confessed to Bobby, expecting full rejection despite our reassurances that that would never happen.

1994, HOLLYWOOD

The three of us had been sitting on the couch waiting impatiently for Bobby to show up for our impromptu rehearsal. We all came early to prepare Reggie for his big moment. The pining was painful to watch and all we wanted was for the boys to be happy together. Reggie sat there, leg bouncing anxiously. Not being able to take sitting anymore, he jumped up- pacing back and forth in front of the folded up couch.  
“And now we’re on the runway again.”  
“Luke! Reggie, it’s okay. I promise you, he likes you too.”  
“But what if he doesn’t?” He stopped, turning to us, “Then what? Rehearsal will be so awkward! And our friendship! It’ll be ruined! What about the band? Oh, Go-” The door swung open, an awkward Bobby waddled into the room, head down. A moment of silence later, he looked up. A flash of worry and anxiety passed over his features.  
“Is uh, everything okay you guys?”  
“Yep!” Luke chimed in, “Everything is great Bobs. Reggie here has something he needs to tell you. Wanna take a seat?” He stood up and forcibly shoved Bobby down onto the couch in his place, sliding down onto the armrest next to him. I gave Reggie a small thumbs up in support and Luke smiled widely. Bobby’s eyes shifted between the two of us quickly. “Is something wrong Reg? Did I do something? I don’t know what it is, but I’m so sorry-”  
“No! No-no-no, you didn’t do anything wrong lovebug, I promise. It’s just, well,” He paused nervously, “I like you.”  
Bobby rubbed the back of his head and laughed, “I hope so.” I blinked in defeat as Luke groaned out loud, rocking himself back into the edge of the couch. Reggie sighed and crouched on the ground at Bobby’s feet. “No Bobbert, I like you, like you. A lot.” Bobby’s face grew into a large grin, happiness practically radiating off of him. He looked as if he wanted to get up to say something, but didn’t. He instead dropped his head then hands in the gap between his thighs, blushing, “I really like you, like you too Reggie. I uh, I have for a while now, to be honest.”  
The look of shame and embarrassment across his face made me want to go and hug away his troubles and hurt whoever made him believe that showcasing such powerful, loving emotions were bad. For an extremely emotionally constipated person, this was a huge step. I watched gleefully as Reggie’s mouth became agape, spreading into an ear-to-ear grin. He stood up and extended an arm down toward Bobby. Bobby looked up at the arm, eyes trailing it back to meet Reggies, looking for any sign of deceit. Reggie wiggled his fingers until Bobby’s hands met his and he pulled him up. When Bobby wouldn’t meet his gaze anymore, Reggie put his thumb and pointer finger in an ASL “Q” shape under Bobby’s chin, lifting his head to meet his eyes once more. Despite the intense intimacy, it seemed Luke and I couldn’t look away. Neither of us wanted to miss this crucial moment. The two lovebirds didn’t seem to mind, never saying a word to us- staying trapped in their little world.  
“Can I?”  
Bobby’s face softened, visibly overwhelmed already with the affection. When he didn’t answer right away, Reggie reached his hand over to his cheek and lovingly stroked the side of his face. Bobby’s hand found its way to it until Reggie stopped and held his hand. Giving his other one a gentle squeeze, he nodded and in a quiet voice he whispered, “Yes please.”  
Reggie’s slightly curiously-concerned look faded away, letting go of one of Bobby’s hands to let it rest along his jawline. He licked his lips, looking his partner dead in the eyes. With a shaky breath, he closed his eyes and leaned in. The whole world seemed to stop for a minute, centering just on them. I held my breath allowing my hand to find Luke’s. He squeezed my hand, eyes never leaving the pair. Bobby’s eyes fluttered shut, returning Reggie’s seemingly gentle kiss. Excitement and pride ran through my blood, making my heart beat faster. My best-friends finally figured their shit out, about damn time too. That one kiss lasted what felt like a lifetime, each soaking up the either. Moments later, they pulled away, foreheads resting against each other. The silence lasted as they basked in the other’s glow until Reggie let out a soft laugh, “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do that.” Bobby giggled, surprisingly all of us. Reggie’s smile grew impossibly wider, “It was perfect. You’re perfect.”  
The look on Bobby’s face was priceless. The most flustered look I had ever seen on anyone appearing as he hid it away, tucking it into the crook of Reggie’s neck. His arms came up wrapping themselves around the parts of his neck and top of his shoulders that his head wasn’t occupying. Reggie let out another full, light-hearted laugh, his arms attenuating Bobby’s already skinny waist, squeezing tightly and lifting. He stopped once the smaller male was a few inches off the ground as he hung onto him for dear life. Once he lowered him onto the floor, Luke and I let go of each other, expecting a possible rehearsal to start or for them to leave and go off somewhere. Instead, they said nothing and we didn’t dare to change that. For the rest of the night, there they stayed, too consumed by the other to be concerned with the outside world.  
2020, HOLLYWOOD

Once they had gotten together, however, Bobby had become acutely self-conscious after the first few days following the high of that first kiss. We could all tell that he craved physical affection from specifically his boyfriend. Later in the week after that night though, Reggie had to stay after school every day to catch up on a project that he couldn’t do trying to focus around us and mainly Bobby. Even when the project was finished and turned in, it felt like Bobby was hesitant to go up to Reggie and ask for cuddles, kisses, or even a simple, short hug. The longing stares towards Reggie, the lingering hands after hugs or fist bumps, and even the mopping during practice gave it all away, despite his frail attempt to hide it. If Luke or I ever tried to approach him about it unprompted, he would squirm and hide away in his shell, denying any problem. Poor, oblivious Reggie hadn’t noticed at first due to Bobby’s normal anti-contact behavior. He was too busy staring adoringly at the small teenager to notice the negative shift in him.  
The kid had never been big on physical affection, shying away from it like it burned him to touch us. I remember the first time one of us hugged him. Tears had made their way to his eyes and he massively flinched- pulling away with supersonic speed. A few years later, he eventually became accustomed to our touchiness, occasionally initiating the contact himself. He only ever hugged us when one of us was sad or asked him for it. The few times he would initiate it would be when things were going so horribly in his life that he felt bottling it up wouldn’t suffice. We tried to hug him regularly or make small gestures at him throughout the day in middle and high school to keep him from experiencing the same thing he did the first hug around. I remember him describing it as quite painful, a sensation he never felt before on his skin. An invisible burn lingering long after we let go. I had gone home and mentioned it to my mom that day and she told me that it sounded as if he was touch starving. Curious little me soon went to the same library I sat at now and looked for a book about that. Oh, the coincidences I experienced.  
Feeling a bit more knowledgeable on everything happening with our friend, I bookmarked my page, leaving it to sit out on the table. I went and put the rest of the books back on the shelves. Treading back to Luke, I grabbed the book and we poofed to the driveway that led into the garage. Luke went to walk inside, but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Shaking my head, I pulled him over to the windows along the top. I casually lean to look in, watching as Luke strained his body, growing on his tippy-toes and stretching his neck to peer in at about eye level to match me. I focused my attention back on the lack of action occurring on the inside. I moved my eyes to the couch looking at the pair. Reggie was cradling a sleeping Bobby in his arms like a baby, holding him to his chest rocking back and forth slowly. Nodding, we walked through the door with our weird ghost abilities, silently shifting over towards them. As soon as I went to speak, I was cut off abruptly by Reggie, who was shushing me and holding a finger over his lips in the silent position. He made rapid pointing motions at the boy in his lap who was softly snoring, seeming to be at ease. I held my hands up in surrender, earning a smirk from him. Luke rolled his eyes, yanking the book out from under my arm, flipping open to the bookmarked page. He shoved it onto the unused space in front of Reggie on the mattress and pointed to the section we had just read in the library. Reggie’s eyes squeezed shut in pain, grimacing heavily at the truth before him. We were no doctors, but there wasn’t one that was available to ghosts that we knew of so this was going to have to do. I hated the idea of settling for anything but unfortunately, the circumstances called for it. Shaking his head, I watched his eyes trail back over to the boy in his arms. Bobby looked incredibly small all wrapped up in a bundle, curled up in Reggie’s lap mirroring a young child at nap time. He laid back against the backrest once again, bringing Bobby with him. The book fell to the floor while Luke and I piled into the bed around them, clutching at our bandmates in desperation until Bobby’s soft snores lulled us into sleep.

BOBBY’S POV

I woke up hearing a fit of giggles and the sound of a polaroid camera snapping. I felt a hard chest pressed up against mine and a set of heavy arms around me, securing me in my place. I drew in a long breath through my nose, smelling my boyfriend's cologne. I released a fake groan, pretending to be annoyed so I could hide my face even further into his neck. I cuddled up closer, having shifted ever so slightly in my sleep. Feeling a hand trail up and down my back, I smiled to myself. “Good morning love bug,” A low morning voice came from above. I moved my head so I could look at him. He leaned awkwardly over to give me a quick kiss. I smiled into it, causing him to let out a light chuckle against my mouth. I didn’t want to pull away but a fake cough interrupted us, reminding me that we had company.  
“Morning sleeping beauty,” Luke smirked, shaking the new polaroid in hand. Alex smiled sheepishly, setting down the camera on the table, “How’d you sleep?” I turned to gander them over, both boys appearing to have had a rough night. I gave them a worried look,  
“I slept fine. Why do you guys look so dead?”  
That came out much blunter than I had intended. Filtering my thoughts and having patience was becoming harder as the days went on, but I wasn’t sure why. I figured it had something to do with my insomnia making me more tired and irritable but, I’ve had insomnia for years I don’t know why the problem is just now occurring. Another thing I found strange about the situation was that I slept with Reggie last night, and normally when I sleep with him, I sleep better and I’m much more present during the day. I squeezed my boyfriend tightly, a small wave of anxiety hitting me, “Uh, sorry. That was rude. Are you guys okay?” I felt Reggie shift under me, gently pulling me up by the armpits to make me sit in his lap sideways. He sat up and wrapped his arms tightly around my center, making me feel even more anxious and self-conscious than I was previously. The three of them stared at each other in silence causing the feeling of loneliness to spike. Were they going to kick me out of the band? Out of the garage? Was Reggie going to break up with me? Where am I supposed to go then? Did I do anything? I don’t remember doing anything, not even accidentally. That’s it! I must be taking up too much room, too much time. Or maybe I’ve gotten uglier...I thought at least I was working in the right direction but I guess not. I’ll never be good enough for the band, for Reggie. I was the easiest to replace either way. Nobody cares about the rhythm guitarist. I’m useless. On and off stage. I didn’t bring anything to this arrangement, this friendship. Nothing good anyway. They had a fine, solid friend group way before me, and I knew they would after me as well.  
Allowing my thoughts to consume me, I started to freak out, the world around me fading away- turning into blurry spots. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to ground myself but my breathing was too uneven. It came in short jagged reps, less air entering my lungs each time. I was an ugly crier too, making all of it worse. I tried to hide my face in my hands but something- no, someone stopped me. When that failed, I wrapped my arms around myself, digging my fingernails into the scabs and scars littering my forearms until they bled, just as I had many times before. One gasp later and I had yet another pair of hands-on mine, pulling them away and holding them tightly. Crying harder I felt my right hand being lifted onto a sturdy object. A chest. I felt the steady pulse beneath my fingertips, trying to match my breathing to it. Eventually, it started to show signs of evening out, and I collapsed back onto Reggie. Ouch. Realizing what I had done, I quickly sat up, trying to remove my fat body from him. His grip tightened, forcing me back to where I was.  
“-obby. Bobby. Bobby,” Flooded into my eardrums like a mantra. I looked around me, completely back into the real world. I was face to face with Alex, he crouched down to be at eye level with me. He didn’t seem mad, not even the aggravated look he occasionally gave Luke was there. He smiled at me sadly, him and Luke taking a seat on the ground in front of us. Reggie pulled me so I was again putting all of my weight onto him. I felt horrible, why would he suffocate himself like that? It made no sense.  
“Everything’s okay. You’re okay, we’re okay. Everyone’s okay.”  
“Yeah man, don’t worry. Nobody’s upset or angry or anything. We’re just,” he stopped. I felt Reggie’s arms readjust around me, finishing what Alex was saying, “We’re worried about you, sweet-pea. That’s all, I promise.” He kissed the back of my head lightly before nuzzling his chin into my shoulder.  
“We just want to talk about it, if you’re feeling up to it. If not, we can later. This is just something that the three of us find extremely important.”  
“Did I- did I do something wrong?” Alex gave me a look.  
“No, no of course you didn’t Bob. We’re just a little worried about you, that’s all.” “Worried? Worried over what?”  
I cocked my eyebrows, racking my brain for any potential reason for them to be worried over but came up empty-handed each time. I was fine. There was nothing to be worried about, much less enough to have a band sit down. “Just some of your recent behaviors are a little, erm, worrisome.” Ignoring Luke, I twisted my upper body and looked at Reggie, eyes flickering between his chin and his eyes. “I don’t understand.” Reggie sighed, dipping his head a bit. With a deep breath in, he looked back at me, holding eye contact. “Have you been- have you been feeling, okay, baby?” I nodded slowly, “Same as always, Regs. Why? Can somebody please tell me what’s going on?”  
Another sigh.  
“I just- we just, we don’t think your eating habits are very, uh, healthy. And it’s concerning for us.” So I was right, I am too fat. I probably ate something I shouldn’t have once in front of them and now they realize that I’m an issue. I shouldn’t have agreed to eat that weird soup from Luke last week, but I did and now I was paying the price. I looked down at my knees, despite seeing the outline of my bones, I knew they were still too big. I knocked them together lightly, cringing at the stinging feeling of the bones clacking together. “Oh. I’m sorry, I’ll stay out of your guys' stuff. I’m sorry.” I felt my cheeks burn red from embarrassment. They shouldn’t have had to call me out like this, I knew better, and yet here we were. I had self-control, so why wasn’t I using it?  
“No, babe. Not-not like that, you have nothing to apologize for. We want you to eat our stuff, it’s our stuff, that includes you. Luke, Alex, and I are not a separate unit from you, what’s ours is yours,” He rubbed up and down on my sides, probably feeling the disgusting love-handles at my scrunched-up waist. “We just think you aren’t eating enough.”  
“And when you do, it doesn’t stay down.” Luke finished for him. Alex jabbed him in the ribs, “Dude.”  
Luke shrugged his shoulders, rubbing at the point of contact that Alex had made for a second before letting his hand fall. “There’s no point in beating around the bush. Look Bobbers,” he looked at me, putting a hand on my leg, “We’re really worried about you man. And we care about you. And we love you. We just want you to be happy and healthy, but right now, it doesn’t seem like you are.” He looked over to Alex for moral support. Alex took his hand out of his pocket, the pair standing up. My eyes trailed him as he went over and pulled a large textbook out from his bag, anxiously popping it up and down in his hands. “We know you keep saying everything is normal and that you’re fine, but it doesn’t seem that way. Um, Luke and I decided to go to the library,” I scoffed making Luke look offended. Alex rolled his eyes continuing, “and did some research. And we found this.” He turned the book around for my viewing. I visibly paled at the title. It was a book about eating disorders. Weren’t those a girl thing? Thinking back on it, in health, my teacher had commented that it was a girl’s problem and that guys didn’t get those, so I couldn’t possibly have one. I’m just self-conscious sometimes. But I have a good reason to be, you don’t look like me and not be. “I’m not a girl, Alex.”  
“Not just girls struggle with these sorts of things, man. And I think, I think you might have more than one.” I rolled my eyes at his conclusion. Just as I was about to cut him off and explain to him why he was so utterly wrong, Reggie pressed up into me, kissing my ear.  
“Please listen to him, love. You just, there’s so many signs. This is bad, baby, I couldn’t exist with myself if something bad were to happen to you because of all of this. I know we’re dead but this is already pushing it.” I closed my eyes, letting out a huff. I gave in and leaned against Reggie, already exhausted from the amount of mental energy this conversation was taking. “I don’t believe you, but fine. Plead your case so we can move on.” I felt a tame tap on my ribs, silencing me from continuing. I didn’t want to be rude, but them sitting down and trying to lie to me about how I look is not helping my feelings. 

LUKE’S POV

Bobby wasn’t listening to us, and when he did, it was more passive than I was in the class with too boring teachers who taught things I didn’t care about. He doesn’t believe a damn thing any of us has said the entire morning. I’ve been doing my best to keep my cool and not explode at his snarky attitude, silently thanking Reggie for keeping him under control. I just felt so bad. Here my best-friend was, struggling so much, and there wasn’t a thing I could do to make it better for him. I know how much he despises emotional vulnerability and how disconnected he was when it came to emotions and feelings but this was the worst I’ve ever seen him. He was hurting in ways I could never imagine, thankfully having never been through something like this. Alex took a second to compose himself, also doing his best to be understanding and cautious, knowing how fragile the entire ordeal was. “Do you want me to start with the obvious or the smaller things we’ve picked up on overtime,” Alex said, allowing a bit of bite to seep through his tone. No response, just a warning look from Reggie who had protectively pulled Bobby even closer to him, leaving no room in between them. We know how important this is to him, and us. But we had remarkably different ideas for how to handle it. Admittedly, Reggie’s seemed to be the most probable, Alex and I serving as more of the backbone to make sure Reggie didn’t cave into Bobby’s stupidly convincing puppy dog eyes. The semi-prepared plan was that Reggie was going to calm and comfort Bobby every time Alex or I laid out anything too much for him at the time. The book we found in the library, discussed the topic of denial. Stating that typically the ones who fell victim to the toxic mindset often didn’t realize that what they were doing was wrong, believing so heavily in their demons that they became numb to the side effects of their behavior. Which based on Bobby’s clear lack of concern and the need to always reassure us that he was in fact, “fine” when brought up, proved it to be too true.  
Alex continued on his mini-rant, “You never eat anymore. You hardly even pretend to now. And when you do, the first thing you do is go throw it up. You’re practically a skeleton, Bobby. You’re always tired, you have no energy- seemingly of any kind, your fine motor skills are suffering, you’re extremely pale, your clothes haven’t fit you in forever, you’re consistently cold in warm places- wearing our hoodies and blankets while the rest of us are in shorts.” He took in a sharp breath, “You seem more depressed than you ever have. Even when you’re with Reggie. And do you remember all those times you would pass out or become lightheaded at rehearsal, or when you decided it would be a good idea to flip to switch on moderation when it came to exercise and you ran like someone was chasing you. When you blacked out and didn’t return until the middle of the night? The dry skin, the thinning hair, your insomnia? I know sleeping with Reggie again helps but still. I hear you in the middle of the night sometimes, ya know? And Bobs, the way you intense when he hugs you wrong, or flinch when we touch you... The sharp and sudden pains you get, we notice these things. Please, Bobby, talk to us. Please,” Alex begged him, tears threatening to make their way down his face. Scrunching my nose to keep it from running, I realized there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, myself included. This was one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had to have, easily finding its way into the top 5, but the real rank wasn’t something I wanted to think about, ever. Focusing my attention back to the pair still sat on the couch, I saw as Bobby turned and hid his face in Reggie’s neck, sobbing. Reggie was straight on balling, clutching as tightly as he could to Bobby, fiercely holding him to his chest. I grabbed and squeezed onto Lexi’s hand, not wanting to overcrowd Bobby more than necessary. We shared a look, sharing a mutual understanding that despite part one being over, this conservation was far from it. We still had no clue how this started, or why it continued until it got this bad, just that it un-simply was.

NO-ONE’S POV

Bobby, who was overcome with shame and compunction towards the boys’ reactions, refused to lift his head or even move in Reggie’s arms, fearful of losing the security they brought him. His inner demons roared, making him want to run further than he could ever imagine. He laid, sprawled out in his boyfriend’s lap, gripping tightly to his neck, breaking down. Every word, every phrase, and every look or flash of emotion that swiped the boys’ faces made him cringe internally, guilt overcoming him. He had cried more in the past few days than he had ever in his entire life. It felt like drinking when you were already feeling the after-morning effects. An emotional hangover that just kept getting worse and worse as the days passed. The sluggish rain from the dark cloud continued to rain down on him as energy sources were depleted and happiness seemingly more and more like a temporary figment of his imagination. The amorphous misery that was his life and death left him somatizing as a coping mechanism, trying to find a way to connect to the real world in a way that left him feeling sated or at peace. Existing in his trauma and mental state felt more like being the lone observer of the world in a constant state of painful solitude, unable to find a way to feel worthy of the ones he now loved affection. Once the sobbing ceased, he still didn’t let go. Smooth hands ran up and down his spine, caressing his neck as it reached the top. Cordial lips graced over the top of his head, attempting to provide a sense of serene comfort.  
“Are you ready to talk about it, baby?” Reggie said, his voice wavering ever so slightly. Bobby shook his head no, wanting to avoid the truth as long as possible. The frowns that ran across his band-mates faces made him reconsider. “I-I’m scared, Regs. Do we have to?” The desperation permeated his words, begging and pleading for any escape possible. Reggie slowly nodded, giving him a small pitiful smile, “Yeah sweetness, we do. We just want to know why so we can help you fix it. We’re going to do this together, you just have to let us in, let me in.” Bobby whined quietly, “There’s nothing wrong with me, if anything things are just now improving. Kind of. I’m working on it still.”  
“What makes you think that?”  
Bobby mumbled something inaudible, shoving his mouth into the taller boy's shoulder.  
“What was that?”  
“I don’t deserve you. I never have a-and I don’t think I ever will. I want it so bad, to be worthy of you and your love but I’m not and I don’t know how to be. I’ve always just been so ugly, and so fat, and so useless. For the band and you. I’m too much and I don’t know how to emote, and I’m selfishly clingy and I just- I just want to be good enough for you.” He choked out a broken sob, gripping onto the front of Reggie’s flannel until his fingers turned from their bluish hue to a ghost white, losing circulation. Reggie felt his heart shatter at the confession, placing his hands over the younger males, making him release them. He pulled him higher into his lap, making him sit up once again to face him. He placed his hands on his cheeks, kissing him softly. “You have no idea how wrong you are. Love, there is so much to unpack here. How long have you felt like this? Why didn’t you say anything to me?” Bobby refused to meet his eyes. “Bobby, common, this is important. Please talk to me,” Reggie begged shamelessly, searching for anything to break through to the fragile boy in his lap. “I didn’t want to give you more of a reason to be ashamed of me. I’m so hideous, and you- well you’re just perfect.”  
“Perfect?, Please, I’m far from it. And ashamed of you? Why the hell would I ever be ashamed of you? Baby, you’re my world. My light in the darkness, the steady tempo in my life, the rock keeping me grounded. There is nothing for either of us to be ashamed of. I could never be ashamed of you, you’re my baby, Bobbert, and I love you. Just the way you were, the way you are. I love you for you, not what you think I want you to look like or act like. You’re perfect to me. Hell, you’re perfect for me. I was scared before of having to live without you, but I could have never imagined that I would have been blessed enough to have you at my side even in death.” Having long forgotten about Alex and Luke behind his boyfriend Reggie leaned in closer, whispering, “You gotta know that. There’s not a single soul anywhere in the universe I’d rather be with. You’re it for me. My ride or die, literally, my soulmate even if those are real.”  
“I love you too Reg, so fucking much that it hurts.”  
Reggie squeezed his face in adoration, bringing him in to give him a passionate and fulfilling kiss, only stopping when he heard shuffling, reminding him about the guys. He pulled away, giving Bobby one last trail of kisses, giving Luke a dirty look for ruining the moment. Lucky for him, Bobby didn’t seem to notice yet, still too entranced by Reggie and his captivating ways. “I know this doesn’t solve anything, but this is one big start. And I’m so proud of you babe. So freaking proud of you.” He gave him a genuine smile, receiving one of similar style in return. Reggie waved off the boys behind him, making them back up until they reached the small stairs to the loft. They scurried up to them quickly, sneaking looks, and glanced down at them from above.  
“We’re still going to have to talk about this later on, you know that right? Fixing it, and moving forward may be a little more healthily?” Reggie prompted after a minute or two of comfort-cuddling. Bobby tensed in his hold, objecting to the idea without even opening his mouth. Reggie pulled him away from his chest, peering down on him. “I know you’re scared, but I promise you, nothing will change. Nothing. No matter what, nothing changes, alright? I just-. I want you to be healthy, angel, healthy, and happy.” Bobby tried to deny it to no avail, “No lovebug, you’re not healthy. Remember all of that stuff Alex mentioned to you earlier? He wasn’t kidding. Anorexia and Bulimia aren’t something to mess with, and I don’t want to watch you continuously slip down this pathway. It’s dangerous. I know we already died but who knows what comes next? I don’t want to take that risk. Even if nothing happens, I still want to again, see you happy and healthy.”  
“But I am happy! I’m happy with you. Reggie, please don’t make me, please.” Reggie shook his head, standing his ground. He had always been the more dominant role in their relationship, never wanting to take it too far though to respect Bobby but this wasn’t something he was going to be debated on. “I’m sorry honey-bear, but I have to.” Tears trailed out of both of their eyes, each for a different reason. Bobby laid back down onto Reggie’s chest, elongating their bodies. He curled up into him and let the small tears fall while Reggie held him in silence, hands loving but strong.

THE NEXT SCHOOL DAY

The morning started like any other, Julie popping by to drop off some breakfast bars before going to school with Flynn. This time, however, the boys were all sat in a slightly spaced circle, the other 3 trying their best to stare at Bobby. He and Reggie were the only ones not very spaced out, holding hands as their afterlives depended on it. Flinching at the sound of her entering, they dropped hands but didn’t quite put as much space between them as a few days ago.  
“Hey, guys! I brought some food, don’t know if you guys would want to eat any of this.” She smoothly tossed the box to Alex, who caught it in surprise, clutching the small item to his chest. “Thanks, Julie. We were just about to try to eat something.” He blinked hard once at her, shifting his eyes quickly to gesture towards the skinny boy across from him, hoping she understood his message. He quickly dropped his attention from her to the box, opening it and passing out enough bars to go around. There were small, Kind Breakfast bars, nothing she saw as too special to make a big deal out of like they were.  
Luke attentively noticed her confusion and staring, not wanting to make Bobby feel uncomfortable and backtrack on all of the progress they’ve made since the initial night. He hadn’t really still eaten much of anything, but he was being a bit more open with his feelings, answering the questions they asked, and occasionally just talking aloud where they could hear him. He was learning how to be willingly vulnerable and open with his feelings- attempting to learn how to properly emote without causing himself the level of damage he did last time. Luke sprung off the ground, bopping over to Julie to say hello up close and distract her from the actions taking place behind him. He couldn’t think of what to say without sounding suspicious, he was a horrid liar, after all, instead opting to just stand and smile at her, giving her one of his cuter looks. Julie tugged on his arm, pulling him a couple of feet away from the others,  
“Is everything alright?”  
“Yep! Just uh, casual breakfast band bonding? Moment? Nothing to see here, wouldn’t want you to be later for school,” he started air pushing her politely out the door, following her lead, “Boys, say good-bye to Julie, she has to go. I’ll be back in a sec.” They continued their path until they were a decent distance away from the barn-styled doors.  
“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude. It’s just- this is a fragile time for us. The topic of things like food and hanging around too much of others is very overwhelming right now…” he trailed off, putting on his best puppy-dog eyes, hoping Julie would understand without him having to explain much more. Despite telling her exactly what the boys decided on, he still felt like he had spoken too much. Bobby was already ashamed, wallowing in the fact that the boys knew and wanted him to change. If he knew that Julie, and soon to be Flynn, even knew what they already knew, he’d surely cry and close back into his shell- all progress lost. Seeing Bobby cry was a gut-wrenching experience, he had never been one to express himself but when he did, it hurt. And the mere fact that all of this had him crying regularly made Luke want to kill whatever and whoever the source was. Julie nodded slowly, “Let me know if I can help at all,” despite not having a strong theory on what was truly occurring. Luke flashed her a smile, ushering her down the rest of the driveway until she was headed on. When he was sure she wouldn’t come back, he poofed back into the studio and sat back down in his spot. Bobby was sat, hunched over- an obvious tremor present, small strands of tears running down his face quietly. Alex rubbed his shins in comfort and Reggie grazed his hand over his back, humming praises into his ear. Luke did what he did best and gave him the most comforting smile he could muster, massaging the calves and parts that Alex wasn’t reaching below. He didn’t quite understand what Bobby was going through, not with how hard he was struggling just to take a bite of a breakfast bar without going to the bathroom afterward. But it didn’t matter to him, he didn’t need to understand, he just needed to be there to give his love and support in his best-friends recovery and he knew that. That, he understood.  
“Common, baby. We can do it together. Would that help?” Reggie prompted, waiting for a response from the shaking boy. Bobby wiped away some of its still-falling tears and nodded his head. He pulled his face out of the crook of his elbow, looking up to Reggie, their eyes locking. He gave him a pleading look, “Do I have to?” Reggie looked at the boys sitting across from him, they simultaneously nodded at Bobby who sniffled back another round of tears. Alex started the train first, slowly opening his bar, Luke and Reggie not far behind him. None of them ate any of theirs yet, instead just staring at the food in hand. When Bobby refused to open his, choosing rather let it drop beside him, Reggie picked it up and opened it for him, placing it back in his hands. Luke put his bar up in the middle for a cheer, getting a laugh out of Reggie. Alex playfully rolled his eyes but also put his up, Reggie following suit. Bobby hesitated and put his bar up there with theirs. Luke giggled victoriously,  
“Sunset Curve on three?”  
“1…”  
“2…”  
“3!”  
“Sunset Curve!” They all shouted, falling over laughing. The three boys dug into their breakfast, hungry from prolonging it for so many hours. Reggie slipped his hand into Bobbys, squeezing it as the boy put a small section of the corner into his mouth. He bit down and chewed slower than need is, procrastinating the inevitable. When Reggie’s patient look became too much for him, he swallowed and then nearly threw it right back up. Not purposefully, it had just become such a reflex now, a defense mechanism used to keep his brain from overwhelming him with negative thoughts.  
Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God  
He began to internally panic, doing his best not to let it show. The watergates overflowed, bursting as he did his best not to throw up on his boyfriend. He squeezed onto Reggie, who was now protectively draping himself over his back, kissing his cheeks. He tried again to swallow back the vile bump rising in his throat. He shook his head hard and fast, Reggie’s grip tightening exponentially on him. Once he finally got it swallowed and the anxiety started to calm, he relaxed into his boyfriend's chest, the rest of the bar long forgotten. Reggie was again whispering sweet nothings and singing his praises into his ear while Luke and Alex continued to rub his legs, trying to decrease the swelling. The worst of the storm seemed to pass over him, leaving wind and droplets of scattered forecast in its path.  
The quartet sat there for what turned eventually into hours, not a soul daring to move. Three of them had collectively decided that they would take this as slow as they needed to, refusing to rush even a moment. Their top priority was helping Bobby overcome this so that he could overcome himself. Alex only shifted his weight to grab the clock when the 4 PM alarm rang, reminding them about the Molina family once more. A sense of dread washed over them, not ready to deal with the outside world. The normal anxiety that typically flowed over them didn’t this time, completely replaced by dread. Daring to take the first step, Reggie asked aloud, “Do you want to move over to the couch where it’d be more comfortable?” Despite it being asked to everyone, it was clear that the only opinion that mattered was the smaller male who was sitting in his lap. A strange look met his features, quickly turning into one of insecurity. “Am I too heavy? I’m sorry, I’ll move.” He started to shift out but was quickly rebutted. “No! No baby, you are the furthest thing from heavy. I just know that sitting on the floor hurts your legs and we’ve been sitting here for hours. I don’t want you to be hurting later. You’re,” he hesitated, getting a curious glance from Bobby, “You’re very skinny, love. Which means your bones are pressed almost directly into the ground and this isn’t exactly the softest flooring.” Bobby raised his brows quickly in understanding, climbing off of him slowly. Luke and Alex stood up as well, helping Reggie up, whose bones were cracking and popping as he did so. Luke and Alex pulled out the couch together, the worn-out mattress unfolding with ease. He laughed loudly, pulling his baby with him, jumping onto the couch. Bobby laid down carefully in between his legs and cuddled up to his chest with a child-like yawn. Alex slapped in a random comedic movie, plopping down afterward next to Luke.  
It was about 30 minutes before they heard a squeak in the door. Julie and Flynn peered in, looking around before spotting the boys cuddling on the couch. They giggled quietly, slowly walking in, coughing to alert the boys of their presence, unknowing that they had already heard them. Julie dropped her bag on the floor, waddling over to them to stand next to the television. “How was your guys’ day?”  
“Can you hit pause or turn it down, please?” Alex asked, clearly invested in the plot. Julie sucked her teeth, pursing her lips together awkwardly before doing as she was asked. Flynn rolled her eyes at them, crossing her arms and marching over next to Julie. “So?” She earned a string of confused boy looks, Luke tilting his head at her, “So what?” Flynn made an even more exaggerated eye roll at him, moving her hands to her hips annoyed.  
“She asked how was your guys’ day. So how was it?”  
They each looked at each other uncomfortably. Alex shifted lower in his seat, Luke avoiding eye contact, and Bobby buried his face into Reggie’s chest, looking the other way as the older male’s arms secured him tighter. “It was...fine.”  
“Fine?”  
“Yes, it was fine.”  
Flynn gave Alex an expectant look but all she received in return was two not faltering eyes staring right back at her. “Care to explain or are we going to have to play the guessing game for the rest of the evening?”  
“It was eventfully uneventful. We just sat and chilled on the floor all day and then came and sat over here trying to watch this awesome movie.” Luke chimed in, smiling trying to ease her sass away. Alex had enough sass in his body to hold them all over for copious amounts of time, they didn’t need another source or someone waltzing in making anyone uncomfortable. Flynn gave them a suspicious look  
She reluctantly moved out of their view after a nudge from Julie, her unyielding glare never breaking. She didn’t approve of the energy that she got from them, not with how she felt they treated her best friend. Julie had been wanting silently to bond with the quartet, but rather watched from afar doing her best not to disturb them. They had made it very clear, in her opinion, that all they needed was each other, not another soul for any reason whatsoever. She longed to know more about them but didn’t want to push. They were a large mystery to her, a case she couldn’t seem to crack. Flynn had mentioned once or twice since her discovery of them that something didn’t feel normal about them. Nothing felt normal about the situation though, they were ghosts! Actual ghosts! That wasn’t your normal run-in-the-mill thing. She had grown worried for them anyway, despite her efforts to say detached and far away from them. One of them seemed very ill, one very protective, one hyper, and one massive ball of anxiety. Admittedly, the frail-ill-looking one worried her the most out of the four. She desperately wished to be able to tell her dad about them but decided against it in fear of his reaction. She knew he would immediately send her back to Dr. Turner if he didn’t believe her. Wondering if she could tell him just as she did Flynn, she pondered the idea a few times. What if it went wrong though? Then what? Try to force him not to send her? The encounter with them and Carlos on the first night were already too much for her to try to handle. She had been worried that her dad would have taken Carlos seriously when he told him that she had been outside talking to ghosts.  
Flynn was still staring at the boys, the girls never really moving away from their peripheral vision. The boys tried watching around them but Flynn stood her ground not wanting to end the conversation. She sympathized with Julie about her feelings towards the guys, also wanting to know more but unlike her friend, she wasn’t too scared to push the uncomfortable boundaries. “Come hang out with Julie and me.”  
They all looked at each other, looking uncomfortable and out of place. Nobody said anything aloud for a minute, making Flynn impatient. At the silence, she felt Julie tense beside her. They had briefly talked about asking the guys politely if they wanted to hang out with them, but not this. Alex was the first to speak up, “Um today isn’t a good day. Can we do that maybe later this week?”  
“Why?”  
“Flynn!”  
“What? They never try to include you, or me. They don’t come out with us or even stay around long enough to chat. They’re always either practicing or watching this dumb TV. They can come out for one afternoon and get to know us better,” Flynn concluded. Luke opened his mouth to defend their behavior and to try to explain inconspicuously what was truly going on because he didn’t like seeing Julie upset. Or her sassy friend. He was cut off by Bobby racking up a bone-chilling cough that was let out into Reggie’s chest and part of his elbow. All talking ceased as they watched Reggie try to rub the cough out of his boyfriend, a crinkled look resting on his face. “You okay, baby?” Bobby nodded, turning his face back into the other side of Reggie’s chest. “We can go out” he mumbled quietly, “Don’t stay home because of me. We’ll go, Flynn, just give us a few minutes to get ready.” The boys all gave him unsure lookovers. Flynn smirked and clapped her hands together, pretending not to pick up on the specific language that he used. She locked arms with Julie before announcing that they would be waiting for them in the driveway. 

REGGIE’S POV

I stared at him in disbelief, this wasn’t something he normally did. I wanted to go out and spend some quality time bonding with the girls but my priority was making sure Bobbert was alright. It had been an extremely emotional morning, well, few years, and we hadn’t even attempted dinner yet. From what I had overheard Flynn telling Julie on the way out, that was involved in their plan for the evening- which terrified me. There was a time and place for everything, and that included the impending conversation about us and our relationships. Luke was the first to get up, happily running over to change his shirt, Alex on his tail, giving the two of us some privacy to talk.  
“Are you sure, love? We don’t have to, it’s been a long day-”  
“Yes, Reginald. I’m sure, I need- I don’t know. Let’s just give it a try, alright?” He kissed me lovingly before squirming his way out of my hold and waddling over to where our bag of clothes was laid. He dug through it, pulling out another pair of my draw-string sweatpants and hoodie, then disappeared behind the bathroom door.  
“No locking it!” I hollered, checking my watch to make sure he didn’t stay in there for too long. I could practically hear his eyes roll in annoyance along with his little huff. A minute or two later, he shyly walked out- arms wrapped around his middle, drenched in my oversized clothing. He looked, well, just so adorable! Nobody had the right to casually look like that- it wasn’t right! How was I supposed to contain myself from cuddling him out in public when he looked like that? If it weren’t for Flynn or Julie, it wouldn’t matter as we are dead ghosts, but since they could, I maybe could try to refrain. He shuffled his feet over, moving his arms to go around my waist, and leaned his head against my shoulder, “I’m ready I guess.” I watched as Luke and Alex found their way outside to meet with the girls. I pulled him a few inches away so I could better look him in the eyes.  
“If you don’t think you can eat in front of them, I won’t make you,” he relaxed, “But, we are going to try to eat something small again after they leave, okay?” I watched his shoulders tense back up and he looked down in defeat. “F-fine.”  
He intertwined our fingers and waited for me to take the first step. I didn’t feel the need to change shirts, because well, one- I’m dead. Two- despite my heater on top of me for the majority of the day, I hadn’t been sweating or stinking myself up, so I should be fine. I led him outdoors, catching everyone’s attention. I smiled at them and dragged my boyfriend along by my side, ignoring the girl's curious looks. “Where we goin’?”  
“Pizza!” Luke jumped, giggling, “I love pizza! Can we get pizza? Please,” he begged, earning a playful laugh and shoulder punch from the girls.  
“Sure, pretty boy.”  
Luke beamed at the compliment, bobbing up and down as we walked down the street, the girls in the lead, him and Alex behind, and Bobs and I as the caboose. They each seemed too involved in their chats to notice each other. Bobby and I walked in the background in silence, passing happy smiles and shoulder bumps at each other. Soon, we arrived at our destination which just so happened to not be a shady car selling food. Flynn and Julie ordered, leaving us to sit outside alone waiting. We all grabbed seats next to each other, sitting in the far corner of the small patio where people wouldn’t look weird at the girls for seemingly talking to air. It was later now, leaving less of a chance for human intervention. I piped up, tired of the quietness,  
“I wonder what they want to talk to us about.”  
“I wonder why they suddenly want to bond with us,” Luke replied.  
Alex huffed, “Maybe because we are living in what is now their space, and they know absolutely nothing about us except that we’re dead teenagers in a band? Not sure, but I feel like that has something to do with it,” sarcasm leaked from his tone. Just as Luke began to make his comeback, the girls bumped the door open, two large boxed pizzas in their hands.  
“We got them to go just in case, also less explaining about 6 plates for two people.”  
Makes sense.  
They sat down and everyone but Bobby and I chowed down on their dinner. He gripped my hand tightly as his breathing started to become more ragged as it normally did during meal times. I nibbled on the end of my pizza, not wanting to eat too much in front of him, especially if we were going to try to eat later tonight after the ladies went to bed. After dabbing all of the greases that I could off of my pizza, I grabbed the plastic utensil to try and saw off an extremely small piece of pizza with my free hand. After successfully disembodying the slice, I stabbed the tiny piece- offering it in my boyfriend's general direction. This caught the attention of the masses, only Alex and Luke looked away knowing it would only make Bobby’s anxiety worse. I leaned over to him, pushing the bite further away from him to whisper, “You don’t have to if you think you can’t handle it, but if you want to try, I’m right here. We can do it together, just like this morning, alright?” He squeezed my hand, closing his eyes for a minute. Alex quickly waved his hand in the center of the table, drawing the girls' attention and gesturing for them to ignore us. He shoved his hand down, pretending as nothing happened as Bobby opened his eyes and leaned his head on my shoulder. “Few minutes?” he said in a small voice. My heart melted and I nodded to him, setting down the bending fork. Moments later, small talk overtook the table, the pizza slice forgotten. After going back and forth about music and school, what we hated, and what we loved, the darker topics were brought up.  
“So how did it happen?”  
“Flynn!”  
“How did uh, what do you mean?”  
“How did you guys get here? Julie says you’re from the ’90s.”  
This girl has no filter, does she? I wasn’t sure how to answer this question, I took a gander over to our oh-so-fearless-leader, Luke, expecting some cute PG version of our death. What I got instead was Alex, swallowing some pizza, looking highly unamused  
“We ate some bad hotdogs.”  
The girl’s jaws dropped ever so slightly, eyes shifting between each other and us,  
“Are you serious? Hotdogs? You died…because you ate some bad hotdogs?”  
Finding his lap suddenly interesting, Luke’s eyes and his head fell, “Um, yeah. I wanted to get some of our normal street-dogs before our big gig and it kind of took us out.” The guilt and shame overtook his aura as he avoided eye contact with everyone, “Not too cool of me, huh?” He covered it up with an awkward laugh. Forgetting the girl's presence Alex grabbed him fiercely by the shoulders.  
“Stop blaming yourself, Lucas. We all wanted street-dogs. This is not your fault, do you understand me?”  
Luke shook his head.  
“But it is! If I hadn’t made the stupid suggestion, we would have just eaten the weird fancy food at the Orpheum and lived! Became the legends we were destined to become!” Alex flicked him in the forehead, stunning him for a moment.  
“Stop it! If we were meant to die that night, we would have either way. Street dogs or not. What if one of us suggested it, hmm? Then what? Would you blame us?”  
“No!...but-”  
“Exactly. There is no difference, so sit down, eat your pizza, and shut the fuck up. Please. I love you, bro, okay? Quit the self-blame. It’s not a good look on you.”  
I wasn’t the only one who was extremely caught off guard. This was the exact opposite of Alex’s normal personality. Sure, he was sarcastic and snarky, but this was a whole different level of confidence. One that didn’t only show on stage. I peered over at Bobby, his eyes wider than I think I’d ever seen them. I knew Alex could be more, hmm, dominant, from accidentally overhearing him and Luke one night back when they were together, but I had stopped Bobby from entering the studio that night, opting instead to sneak in the window to his room. Luke himself seemed stunned, staring back at Alex dead in the eyes for a solid minute and a half. Eventually, they broke eye contact, Luke whimpering and Alex shifting back to eating his pizza like nothing ever happened. I then remembered our audience, understanding Alex’s nonchalance. If he focused too hard on what just happened, he might work himself into an anxiety attack in front of them. Breaking everyone out of their newfound Alex-trance, I prompted them,  
“So what other questions do you ladies have for us?”

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided that I am going to attempt to update weekly, or bi-weekly. It again truly does depend on what is going on in my personal life at the moment/time. I'm extremely curious as to what you guys think about the layout and the amount of story/context in each post. Is it too much? Too little? This story is one that is very delicate in the topic but it's also extremely important to me personally, in a sense that I don't know exactly how much to do for each one, without pushing myself or the story too far. As always, I'd love to hear more of your feedback and/or suggestions in the comments and such. I think it's super cool that some of you guys are really into it, and I super appreciate it! I hope you have a great day/evening/night and I will try to update you soon!


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